Announcing the Winners of The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations of 2015

NEW CITY, N.Y. - Dec. 1, 2015 - PRLog -- For eight years running, The Scientist (http://www.the-scientist.com) has sought out the best and brightest laboratory and research products of the year. And for eight years, our expert panel of independent judges has highlighted some of the most innovative tools, software, and techniques to hit the market. The 2015 installment of our Top 10 Innovations competition is no exception. “We are very excited to present another fine crop of tools and technologies,” said Editor-in-Chief Mary Beth Aberlin. “Our expert panel of independent judges had a very difficult job to pick the top life science products from a very competitive list of submissions.”

This year’s selection of winning products features a wide variety of technologies, from a next-generation sequencer designed and validated specifically for the forensic laboratory to a tool that can turn on target genes through epigenetic modification and an immune cell phenotyping platform to a reagent kit that can measure the metabolic phenotype of any cell sample. Other winning products include a barcoding and analysis tool that partitions and tags DNA prior to sequencing to enables easier analysis of long DNA fragments and a 3-D microscope that can peer into living cells and distinguish their inner workings without the use of stains or labels.

The winners of The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations of 2015 contest are:

1)      GemCode (10X Genomics) – This platform automates the equivalent of more than a million pipetting steps for highly parallel sample partitioning and molecular barcoding prior to sequencing, making the analysis of short-read sequences much more informative.

2)      MiSeq FGx Forensic Genomics System (Illumina) – This benchtop sequencer is the first next-generation sequencing tool validated for use in forensic laboratories seeking to pull information from degraded, fragmented DNA samples or from mixtures of genetic material from multiple people.

3)      Ion S5 & Ion s5 XL (Thermo Fisher Scientific) – These systems can perform a DNA sequencing run in just one hour, from library preparation to sequencing reads.

4)      On-demand CRISPR genomic deletions in human HAP1 cells (Horizon) – This service can deliver cell lines with up to 100 Kb of genomic DNA sequence deleted in just 12 weeks.

5)      NanoLuc Binary Interaction Technology – “NanoBit” (Promega) – This system can tag two molecular components with subunits that enhance the activity of luciferase, making the study of dynamic protein:protein interactions possible.

6)      CRISPR Epigenetic Activator (Sigma Aldrich) – This tool uses epigenetic remodeling to modulate the expression of single target genes, facilitating precise genomic manipulation without the need for direct modification of DNA.

7)      Phenoptics (PerkinElmer) – This methodology allows for the phenotyping of immune cells in situ in formalin-fixed tissue, which can improve immunotherapies by more accurately reflecting the cellular milieu of target tissues.

8)      XF Cell Energy Phenotype Test Kit (Seahorse Bioscience, a part of Agilent Technologies) – This reagent kit allows researchers to record the metabolic phenotype of a cell sample and compare the baseline to a stressed or drugged state over time.

9)      Celsee PREP400 and Celsee ANALYZER (Celsee Diagnostics) – These microfluidic devices capture and functionally characterize circulating tumor cells, bringing liquid biopsy closer to becoming a clinical reality.

10)   3D Cell Explorer (Nanolive) – This 3-D microscope uses only light, not labels or tags, to interrogate the internal world of the cell in high resolution.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners. Be sure to visit www.the-scientist.com/2015Top10 where you can read more about the products that earned top spots, see bios and comments from our expert judges, and watch a slideshow of the runners-up.

About The Scientist:

The Scientist is a publication for life-science professionals that is dedicated to covering a wide range of topics central to the study of cell and molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience, and other life-science fields. The Scientist provides print and online coverage of the latest developments in the life sciences including trends in research, new technology, news, business, and careers. It is read by leading researchers in industry and academia who value penetrating analyses and broad perspectives on life-science topics both within and beyond their areas of expertise. Written by prominent scientists and professional journalists, articles in The Scientist are concise, accurate, accessible, and entertaining.